Yesterday in Salon, a professor of political science wrote an article titled, Can Liberals Cure Stupidity?
Today, Clive Crook at Atlantic Monthly pointed out an exchange between a New York Times editor and Bill Maher. The New York Times editor said, "If it's Kansas, if it's Missouri, no big deal. You know, that's the dance of the low, sloping foreheads, the middle places, right?"
In private conversation I've heard many well-meaning lefties, many of whom are involved in political causes, and actively employed in improving the social welfare of the poor make similar comments. It's not enough to stop saying that people are stupid. It's time they stop thinking that way altogether.
I recommend a two part approach for liberals curing stupidity.
Step two: Look in the mirror. Who's stupider? The smart guy with all the facts who can't convince anyone of anything, or the idiot who can sell bottled water to a fish?
I really don't care how smart someone is (or thinks they are). I've known plenty of smart people who have done really, really stupid stuff. I've known plenty of dumb people who have gotten way, way ahead in life. Intelligence is not a good measure of success in life. It doesn't make a person more or less moral. It doesn't solve any of the world's problems on its own. What does?
Well, for starters, if the problem involves getting people mobilized behind a cause (like an election), knowing how to talk to those people, maybe even getting to know a couple of them personally might help. Listening without judgment to the way people view the world might help form a message that gets them on your side.
I'm routinely amazed when someone involved in something like global health talks about changing the breastfeeding patterns of African women by first understanding their culture, and then switches gears to refer to their own countrymen as ignorant and beyond saving. It should be easier to talk to people who look like you or speak your native language, but using the same humble, patient approach locally rarely occurs to these people. The same principles at work in Kibera or Conakry also apply in Kentucky and Kansas.
I am tired of people blaming Fox News and multinational corporations for people voting against their interests. Until someone convinces them otherwise, they're just our interests, not theirs. This is nothing new. Rich people have always been powerful. Powerful people have always stayed that way by influencing others.
In today's media war, monied interests on the right influence others by paying people to craft very, very effective messages. At least they stopped paying for mobs with billy clubs. If liberals want to influence others, they shouldn't cede any ground in the "fly-over" states. They shouldn't concern themselves with being outspent if they're so sure they're right. They should have a little faith in their own beliefs. They should stop theorizing, take a road trip away from the coasts, get off the interstate, and start talking to people.
The bottom line for me is that in this world there are no noble savages and no ignorant rednecks; only people who are just trying to get by the best they can. There are no messianic saviors or evil geniuses; only people who want to have some influence over what happens. And there is no way to get people on your side by calling them stupid.